The right dehumidifier for a grooming salon not only has the advantages as mentioned in our first article but also is crucial in a grooming business’s long-term success by facilitating a larger number of appointment bookings and the ability to efficiently handle the more difficult-to-dry coats which generally include the higher paying customers with higher profitability. Generally, an offered grooming service must have the appropriate equipment to successfully meet the client’s idea of the right tools to complete the drying segment. The minimum requirement would certainly be a metal-combination comb, wire slicker brush, a metal pin brush, a soft, absorbent bath towel and of course a dryer. And not just any old dryer is needed. We will discuss the family of animal dryers, 3 pillars of drying, with pros and cons in a future article.
But for now, an animal to be dried may require a force-high velocity dryer, a cage or a high-volume cubic feet per minute (CFM) dryer, or a finish or hands-free stand dryer, and perhaps all three. As an unnamed, very well-known company found after spending a reported 75 million US dollars testing for a new revolutionary hand-held, human hair dryer and after testing thousands of feet of worldwide collected hair types, including animal strands, that were found by far to be the most difficult to dry of all hair samples tested. It should be noted the company decided not to develop beyond a human dryer and produce a pet-type dryer. The rationale was most likely because a single, handheld device would be too difficult to perfect and too costly to develop for the pet grooming and retail market.
This is a telling conclusion for such a successful industry leader in home appliances to make. Even manufacturers of cutting-edge technology in motor driven household products found the going tough. This should dispel any notion that any old dryer or single type of dryer can easily dry pet animals effectively enough to meet the needs of professional dog grooming. In a later blog we will bring this subject up for review and discussion and I hope all will join the discussion, especially on technique used to create a “best in show” look.
But back to Mr. Dehu and the part drying plays in a need to add a commercial unit to a salon’s must have purchase list. As we can see from our dryer type overview, we have a pretty good chance dryers of at least one type or another may be operating at any given time in a salon’s work day and perhaps almost continually, taking your closed indoor work space form a humidity (moisture percentage) level from modest to ridiculously high in the space of just minutes from high velocity, force dryers blasting water droplets, from animals barely tamped dry with a towel, flying into a relatively small area and raising the relative humidity level from as low as 35% to 90% in a matter of minutes.
Now those of our followers who are blessed with beautiful, long thick hair have certainly experienced the seemingly endless extra time it takes to dry that head of hair under those conditions of high humidity leading perhaps to an undeserved reputation for tardiness on important occasions. Unfortunately, to a groomer trying to make a living, an owner trying to make a profitable return on their investment, and a client trying to figure out when to pick up their pet, time is not on their side when all those lives are controlled by uncontrollable, high relative humidity in the work place. The #1 rule in business, and especially the grooming business is “time is money,” and “use it wisely.”
Let’s see what the water damage restoration and insurance industries have found to be the secret to handling excess moisture caused by flooding. Let’s also see what they have developed to bring humidity levels down to a manageable amount. Mandatory use of commercial grade dehumidifiers are required by insurance companies to remove moisture that must be reduced quickly for the mitigation of mold and mildew growth and to remove the danger they pose to respiratory health. This time-proven method has not only proven successful but has also given birth to extended use of air movers to speed up the process and air purifiers to capture dangerous *particulate matter (PM) that does so much damage to the respiratory system, blood vessels, and brain tissue as a result.
*Particulate matter (PM) in itself is a major issue in the health of grooming personnel and future articles will cover in detail this very important topic. Follow us for future subjects you may not want to miss.
The advantages of using dehumidifiers in a super saturated, high relative humidity work environment are many and directly affect work area employees, pets, clients, and overall business success and include:
- Reduce long- and short-term health issues by reducing particulate matter (PM) formation, 10 microns (10µm) and smaller, tiny in size that act as transporters of even smaller viral and bacterial matter capable of penetrating the respiratory and blood circulatory systems
- Reduce spread of seasonal outbreaks of flu and colds and their effect on employee absenteeism
- Curtail mildew and mold growth and the odors they bring
- Avoid sticky and stuffy room environments
- Eliminate window condensation on colder days
- Eliminate water marks on walls and ceilings
- Decrease pest problems, especially in summer time
- Decrease allergy-related reactions
- Reduced bacterial growth and dust mites
Till Next Time,
-The Professor